Radiometer



y 1933- H. w. BIRODIE 1,911,426

, RADIOMETER Filed Sept. 4, 1951 INVENTOR W flay Kfirodie ATTORNEY Patented May 30, 1933 PATENT OFFICE HUGE W. BBODIE, OF HONOLULU, TERRITORY OF HAWAII BADIOMETER Application filed September My invention relates to improvements in radiometers, especially those intended to record radiation from the sun, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a device for recording sunlight which is an improvement over that device which forms the subject of application 470,756 filed by Harold L. Lyon. In the application above mentioned the device is set to face the sun but there are times when the pulse glass will be in the shade unless the instrument is shifted in its position. In the present device the parts are so mounted that the device may be set and the pulse glass will alternately be in the shade of the canopy and in the sunlight throughout the entire day.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described which may be adjusted to various positions but which when so adjusted will continue to opcrate in the sunlight.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this so ap lication, in which, I

Figure 1 is a side view of the device, the canopy being shown in section,

Figure 2 is a front view of the device,

Figure 3 is a plan view showing an elec- 85 tric circuit for recording the movements of the device, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the canopy and through the pulse glass tube.

In carrying out my invention I provide a base plate 1 which may be made of any suitable'material. At one end of this base plate is an upright 2 and secured to the upri ht is a post 3. An arm 4 preferably made of wood or other suitable insulating material is pivotally connected at 5 to bracket 6.

Links 7 are pivotally attached to the arm 4 at 8 and'extend on each side of the post 3.

Securing members 9 are provided for adjusting the links to permit the arm 4 to be 4, 1931. Serial No. 561,279.

inclined at various positions with respect to the post 3 and to secure the parts in their adjusted positions.

At the top ofthe arm 4 is a canopy 10. In the present instance this canopy is shown as conslsting of an inverted plate having a portion 11 cut away. The canopy may be secured in any suitable manner as by the bracket 12.

Secured to the post are L-shaped hearing members 13 and 14 respectively. A third L-shaped member 15 is provided with a thrust bearing 16 which may be made of any suitable material such as agate.

Arranged to pass through the bearings 13 and 14 and to rest on the thrust bearing 16 1s a rod 17 hearing at its upper end a yoke 18 to which is secured a pulseglass. This consists of a tube 19 having at each end a bulb, such as that shown at 20 and 21.

The tube and its associated bulbs are exhausted of the air and a volatile liquid and its vaporsuch as ether partially fills the tube as well as the bulbs".

The mechanislnfor recordingthe move- -ment of the pulse glass consists of a directing arm 23 which is adapted to wipe a conductor 24 carried by a screw 25 on an upright 26. The latter is electricall connected by means of a strip 27 with a blnding post 28. The binding post 28 is in circuit with a battery 29 and a magnet 30 which controls an armature 31 having a st lus 32 arranged to engage a tape 33 on rol ers 34. The latter may be driven by any suitable 55 means such'as clock-work, not shown. The magnet is also connected to a binding ost 35 which in turn is electrically connecte by means of a flexible conductor 36 with the rod 17.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation thereo may be readily understood. In the position shown in Figure 1. tlze bulb 20 of the pulse glass is disposed in the sunlight and the latter heating the volatile liquid in the bulb causes it to be forced into the. opposite bulb 21 whichis in the shade, whereupon the pulse glass will swing to cause the bringing of the bulb 21 into the position formerly occupied by the bulb 20. The bulb 20 will cool off while the bulb 21 will become heated and the reverse action will take place. The arm 23 will make contact with the member 24 at each operation and this will close the circuit to the solenoid 30, which will energize the magnet 31 to bring the stylus onto the movable tape 33. When the latter is driven by clockwork there will be accurately recorded the number of oscillations. If a cloud should pass over the sky, thus cutting off the sunlight, it will take the bulb a longer time to heat up and hence the oscillations will be directly in proportion to the amount of radiation received.

The purpose. of inclining the pivot rod 17 is twofold. In the first place the rod is so positioned to enable one end of the pulse glass to go into a higher position when the other end goes into a lower position. In the second place the angular inclination of the rod permits the device to be so disposed that there will be no shading of the bulb which is in the lower position at any time during the day. This is further aided by cutting away the canopy on the side which receives the light. It will be noted that the rod 17 is pointed and therefore there is very little friction on the thrust bearings so that the device is readily operated when the flow of liquid takes place in the manner described.

What is claimed is:

1. A radiometer comprising a pair of bulbs, a tube connecting said bulbs and containing a volatile liquid, aneansfor pivotally mounting the tube on an axis inclined to the vertical and a. canopy for shading either bulb when that particular bulb is in an upper position.

2. A radiometer comprising a pair of bulbs, a tube connecting said bulbs and containing a volatile liquid, a pivot rod secured to said tube at right angles thereto, means for rotatably supporting said pivot rod with its longitudinal axis inclined to the vertical whereby one of said bulbs will be normally in a lower position and a canopy for shading the bulb in the upper position, the bulb in the lower position being exposed to the sunlight whereby a rush of liquid to the bulb in the upper position will cause the turning of the pivot rod to bring the unshaded bulb into the shaded position.

3. A radiometer comprising a thrust bearing, a pivot rod havin its lower end resting on said thrust bearing, auxiliary means for rotatably holding said pivot rod in a position inclined to the vertical, a pair of ulbs, a tube connecting said bulbs, said tube containing a volatile liquid, means for securing said tube at right angles to the pivot rod whereby either bulb may be rought into an u per position b the rotation of the rod an a canopy for s ading the bulb when in upper position, the rotation ivot rod a cano carrie of the rod serving to bring the previously shaded bulb into a lower unshaded position.

4. A radiometer comprising a base, an arm pivotally mounted on said base, a thrust bearing carried by sai arm, a pivot rod having its lower end resting on said thrust bearing, auxiliary means carried by said arm for rotatably supporting said pivot rod in a position inclined to the vertical, a pair of bulbs, a tube for connecting said bulbs, said tube containing a volatile liquid, means for securing the tube at right angles to the pivot rod and a canopy carried by said arm for shading either of said bulbs when the pivot rod has been rotated to bring said bulb into an upper position.

5. A radiometer comprising a base, an arm pivotally mounted on said base, a thrust bearing carried by said arm, a pivot rod having its lower end resting on said thrust bearing, auxiliary means carried by said arm for rotatably supporting said pivot rod in a position inclined to the vertical a pair of bulbs, a tube for connecting said bulbs, said tube containing a volatile liquid, means for securing the tube at right angles to the pivot rod, a canopy carried by said arm for shading either of said bulbs when the pivot rod has rotated to bring said bulb into an upper position, and means for adjusting the position of the arm and pivot rod with respect to the vertical.

6. A radiometer comprising a base, an arm pivotally mounted on said base, a thrust bearing carried by said arm, a pivot rod having its lower end resting on said thrust bearing, auxiliary means carried by said arm for rotatably supporting said pivot rod in a position inclined to the vertical, a pair of bulbs, a tube for connecting said bulbs, said tube containing a volatile liquid, means for securing the'tube at right angles to the pivot rod, a canopy carried by said arm for shading either of said bulbs when the pivot rod has rotated to bring said bulb into an upper position, means for adjusting the position of the arm and pivot rod with respect to the vertical, said last named means comprising an upright secured to said base, links pivotally secured to the arm and securing members on said upright for permitting the movement of the links with respect to the upright and for securing said links in their shifted positions.

7. A radiometer comprising a base, an arm pivotally mounted on said base, a thrust bearing carried by said arm,- a pivot rod having its lower end resting on said thrust bearing, auxiliary means carried by said arm for rotatably supporting said pivot rod in a position inclined to the vertical, a pair of bulbs, a tube for connectin said bulbs, said tube containin a. volatile Tiquid, means for securing the tu e at right by and arm for angles to the i shading either of said bulbs when the pivot rod has rotated to bring said bulb into an upper position, means for adjusting the position of the arm and pivot rod with respect to 5 the vertical, said last named means comprising an upright secured to said base, links pivotally secured to the arm, securing members on said upright for permitting the movement of the links with respect to the upright and for securing said links in their shifted positions and an electro-magnetic means for recording the oscillatory movements of the pivot rod.

a HUGH w. BRODIE. 

